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(N0 Model.)

1. s. DAVIS. i

SPRING HINGE. No. 254,432. Patented Feb. 28,1882.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

IRA S. DAVIS, OF DETROIT, MICHIGAN, ASSIGNOR TO THE EDWARDS MAN U- FACTURING COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

SPRING-HINGE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 254,432, dated February 28, 1882.

Application filed December 5, 1881. (No model.) I

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, IRA S. DAVIS, of Detroit, in the county of Wayne and State of Michigan, have invented a new and useful Im- 5 provement in Spring-Hinges, of which the following is a specification.

My invention consists in so constructing the pintle, spring, and regulating-drum in a springhinge that the tension of the spring may be increased by turning the pintle and decreased by simply moving the pintle in the direction of its length.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is an elevation of a spring-hinge with the upper and both the lower lugs in section, and Fig. 2 is a detached view of the pintle and regulating-drum.

A and B are the two leaves of a hinge, leaf A having an upper lug, H, and a lower lug, M, and leafB having two lugs, K and L. Holes are drilled through these lugs, through which passes a pintle, O. Lug H is cored out for a short distance from its upper surface, which may project above the leaf A, so as to allow the shoulder on the top of the pintle G to pass down a short distance into lug H and any desired ornament may be cast on the under side of lug M. On the under side of lug K one or more ratchet-teeth are cast.

D is a regulating-drum, cored out on one side to receive one end of a spiral spring, and having ratchet-teeth formed on the other side. Through the center of drum D is a hole to receive pintle O.

Fis a spiral metal spring, of such length that when placed in position, as shown in Fig. 1, it will be compressed longitudinally, and will force drum D firmly against lug K and hold the ratchet-teeth on said drum and lug firmly interlocked. One end of spring F is fastened to drum D, and the other end is turned out so as to overlap the inner edge of and bear against leaf A.

E is a loose collar, adapted to receive one end of spring F and prevent friction between the spring and lug L.

O is a pintle, which passes through all the lugs, drum, D, spring F, and collar E, and holds the hinge together.

The upper portion of pintle G is made so so that it will not pass through the hole in drum D, this portion being marked in Fig. 2. The portion of pintle O which lies within the drum D when the hinge is together, as shown in Fig. 1, is so made that while drum D will slide freely on thepiutle itcannot beturned thereon. The manner of accomplishing this (shown in Fig. 2) is to make the hole through the drum square, and to square a portion of the pintle immediately below the portion thereof marked 0. It is obvious that the same object may be accomplished in other well-known waysas, for example, by casting drum D with a circular hole having a feather therein and making a longitudinal groove in pintle O.

The upper end of pintle O is provided with a transverse hole therein, B, into which a nail or wire may be inserted for the purpose of turning the pintle.

The practical defect in spring-hinges is that when the spring is set at a high tension it is difficult to take off this tension, and this can only be done by prying the ratchet teeth apart, which is sometimes so difficult as to make it necessary to removethehinge entirely and take it apart. This defect is entirely obviated by my invention, for when it is desired to release the tension of the spring, simply pressing on the pintle (Jwill force drum D away from lug K, and as soon as the ratchetteeth are unlocked the force of the spring will rotate drum D and thus relieve the tension of the spring. Upon removing the pressure from pintle O the longitudinal elasticity of spring F will cause the ratchet-teeth to again interlock, when the spring may be set to any desired tension by turning the pintle (I.

What Iclaim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

In a spring-hinge, an automatically-operating locking device acting by means of the longitudinal elasticity of a coiled spring, which also operates the hinge, and a pintle connectin g the leaves of the hinge, and having thereon a shoulder or stop adapted to force open the locking device when the pintle is moved in a 5 direction contrary to the longitudinal pressure of the spring, and said pintle being connected with the locking device, whereby neither can be rotated independent of the other, substantially as herein shown and described.

IRA S. DAVIS.

Witnesses CHARLES B. LOTHROP, GEO. H. OARLIsLE. 

